The 26th Indian Infantry Division, was an

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and mar ...

division Division or divider may refer to: Mathematics *Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication *Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division Military *Division (military), a formation typically consisting ...

of the Indian Army during World War II. It fought in the Burma Campaign.

History

When the

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

invaded Burma in 1942, the various units in training or stationed around Barrackpur near

Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...

in India were hastily formed into the "Calcutta" Division on 20 March 1942. On 15 May, the division was retitled the Indian 26th Division. The division's badge was a Bengal tiger stepping through a blue triangle, representing the "delta" of the Ganges River, on a black background. For much of 1942, the division was heavily engaged in internal security, and not regarded as battle-worthy due to lack of training and transport. It formed part of Indian XV Corps, but late in 1942, it was taken over directly by Eastern Army. For the First Arakan offensive, all the division's brigades were detached one by one and committed to the offensive under the

14th Indian Infantry Division The 14th Indian Infantry Division was an infantry division of the Indian Army during World War II. It fought in the Arakan Campaign 1942–43, and was subsequently converted into a Training Division, providing drafts of replacements for unit ...

. In March, the offensive stalled and the HQ of 26th Division relieved that of the 14th Division, taking over the Arakan front too late to prevent a minor disaster. After this the British fell back almost to their starting point on the Indian frontier. Once reorganised, the division was in reserve for the first part of the Second Arakan Offensive, once again under XV Corps. When a Japanese counter-attack at Ngakyedauk cut off the forward troops, 26th Division was deployed to relieve them. It fought down the coastal plain to reopen the roads by which the 5th Indian Division was supplied. After the battle ended with the repulse of the Japanese attackers, the division took over the 5th Division's front and took part in the capture of two vital railway tunnels. After this, the Arakan offensive wound down to spare troops and resources for the battles in Manipur. The division was withdrawn during the monsoon rains to recuperate. Indian Div beside temple on Ramree Island

Indian Div beside temple on Ramree Island

Beginning in late 1944, the division was committed once again to the Arakan. During the Third Arakan Offensive and subsequent operations, 26th Division took part mainly in amphibious operations, including the unopposed capture of Akyab Island, and the Battle of Ramree Island. Finally in April and May 1945, the division took part in

Operation Dracula Operation Dracula was a World War II-airborne and amphibious attack on Rangoon by British and Anglo-Indian forces during the Burma Campaign. The plan was first proposed in mid-1944 when the Allied South East Asia Command was preparing to reoccu ...

, the capture of Rangoon. The Allied Occupation of Sumatra SE7515

After the Japanese surrender, the division, under the command of Henry Chambers, reinforced other troops in Java and Sumatra, where the end of the war brought widespread disorder. The division was formally disbanded in India on 31 August 1945, but most of its units were stationed in Sumatra at Padang and Medan until November 1946, when they embarked at the port of Belawan to be disbanded in India.

Order of battle

''as of 1 April 1944'' ; 4th Indian Infantry Brigade :1st Battalion,

Wiltshire Regiment The Wiltshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 62nd (Wiltshire) Regiment of Foot and the 99th Duke of Edinburgh's (Lanarkshire) Regiment of Foot. The ...

:2nd Battalion,

7th Rajput Regiment 7 (seven) is the natural number following 6 and preceding 8. It is the only prime number preceding a cube. As an early prime number in the series of positive integers, the number seven has greatly symbolic associations in religion, mythology, s ...

:2nd Battalion,

13th Frontier Force Rifles The 13th Frontier Force Rifles was part of the British Indian Army, and after 1947, Pakistan Army. It was formed in 1922 by amalgamation of five existing regiments and consisted of five regular battalions. History The 13th Frontier Force Rifles' ...

; 36th Indian Infantry Brigade :5th Battalion, 16th Punjab Regiment :8th Battalion,

:1st Battalion,

8th Gurkha Rifles The 8th Gorkha Rifles is a Gorkha regiment of the Indian Army. It was raised in 1824 as part of the British East India Company and later transferred to the British Indian Army after the Indian Rebellion of 1857. The regiment served in World War I ...

; 71st Indian Infantry Brigade :1st Battalion,

Lincolnshire Regiment The Royal Lincolnshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army raised on 20 June 1685 as the Earl of Bath's Regiment for its first Colonel, John Granville, 1st Earl of Bath. In 1751, it was numbered like most other Army regiments ...

:5th Battalion,

1st Punjab Regiment The 1st Punjab Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army from 1922 to 1947. Upon the Partition of India, it was transferred to the newly-raised Pakistan Army. It ceased to exist in this form in 1956, when it was amalgamated w ...

:1st Battalion,

18th Royal Garhwal Rifles The 18th Royal Garhwal Rifles was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was formed in 1922, after the Indian government decided to reform the army, moving away from single-battalion regiments to multi-battalion regiments. They were th ...

;Divisional Troops :12th Battalion, 12th Frontier Force Regiment ''(divisional machine gun battalion)'' :160th (Jungle) Field Regiment Royal Artillery :20th Mountain Regiment

Royal Indian Artillery The Royal Regiment of Indian Artillery, generally known as the Royal Indian Artillery (RIA), was an operational corps of the British Indian Army. The East India Company raised the first regular company of Artillery in 1748, with a small percentage ...

:72nd, 28th, 98th Field Companies,

Royal Indian Engineers The Indian Army Corps of Engineers is a combat support arm which provides combat engineering support, develops infrastructure for armed forces and other defence organisations and maintains connectivity along the borders, besides helping the civil ...

:128th Field Park Company Indian Engineers :44th, 48th, 51st, 58th, Animal Transport Companies, IASC :44th, 75th, 166th, General Purpose Transport Companies, IASC :1st, 46th, 48th, Indian Field Ambulances, IAMC :26th Indian Division Provost Unit :26th Indian Division Signals Unit :54th, 55th Indian Workshop Companies, IEME :26th Indian Division Recovery Unit, IEME

Assigned brigades

All these brigades were assigned or attached to the division at some time during World War II * 71st Indian Infantry Brigade * 109th Indian Infantry Brigade * 4th Indian Infantry Brigade * 36th Indian Infantry Brigade * British 6th Infantry Brigade * British 23rd Infantry Brigade * 55th Indian Infantry Brigade *

British 14th Infantry Brigade The 14th Infantry Brigade was a British Army formation during both the First World War and the Second World War. History First World War In 1914 this brigade was part of the 5th Division and moved over to France. On 30 December 1915 the brigade ...

114th Indian Infantry Brigade The 14th Indian Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade formation of the Indian Army during World War II. The brigade was formed at Attock in October 1940, and assigned to the 7th Indian Infantry Division. In April 1942, the brigade was renumbere ...

* British 29th Infantry Brigade * 2nd (West Africa) Infantry Brigade * 22nd (East Africa) Infantry Brigade

References

Bibliography

External links

*
Burma Star organisation site

British Military History - Indian Divisional Histories
{{DEFAULTSORT:26 Indian Infantry Division Indian World War II divisions British Indian Army divisions Military units and formations established in 1942 Military units and formations of the British Empire in World War II D 1942 establishments in India 1945 disestablishments in India Military units and formations disestablished in 1945